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Hi Like to check if anyone here who has baby and drives a 4-seater convertible / cabriolet manages to put a infant car seat in the back seat ? Any issues with fixing a rear facing car seat ? difficulties in getting baby in and out of the car ? advise appreciated.

New Minis will be zipping around town this year. BMW owned Mini has announced a whole new range of engines for their new range of cars, most notably, the creation of the Mini One Convertible. The new Minis will feature improved petrol engines offering more power and torque without the usual drawbacks; meaning the environment will embrace the new engines as it has cleaner emissions and better fuel consumption. Minis have always been iconic, and now, with the new line-up, the leader of small hatchbacks is not looking to step down anytime soon. Having a Mini always meant owning more than just a car. It becomes part of your lifestyle, part of what you wear like a fashion accessory. Predictably, Mini has come up with what they call 'unique Rainbow colour options' which basically just means every colour in the world can be used to paint that body of your Mini. The increased palette size will attract car-fashionists to the showrooms like moths being drawn to a lamp. There's even a new entry level Mini called the Mini First. It gets a 1.6litre, Valvetronic 4 cylinder engine, a stable of 75 horses on tap and an increase in torque by 17% from the old 1.4litre while the 'Valvetronic' is the key to the increase in torque and improved fuel consumption. The new Mini One should be contented with an increase in horsepower to 98bhp and a 0-100km/h time of 10.5seconds, and improvement of 0.4seconds. The biggest star in the new line-up will have to be the Mini One convertible. It used to be offered to only the people who have deeper pockets but now, it can be bought by people who used to buy only Protons. The One Convertible offers a lower entry point into the Mini Convertible variants and it has clever features too. The fabric roof opens and closes hydraulically even when the car is on the move, well up to 20mph. DSC stability control is standard, 4 airbags and even a rear roll bar which pops up in the event of a rollover. The range topping Cooper S features a twin-scroll turbocharger, whatever that is, which aids the 1.6litre engine and produces a stunning 184bhp and a torque figure of 240NM from 1600rpm to 5000rpm which is virtually the engine tachometer. And the figures keep getting better. There's even something called an 'Overboost' which increases torque temporarily to 260NM for more grunt and 0-100km/h is dealt with in 7 seconds. Minis will always be cool. They just got cooler.

[extract] It seems that driving a convertible or cabriolet with its top down may permanently damage one

Metal folding roofs and the DNA from a conventional saloon. This is the perfect recipe for a hot Coupe-Cabriolet and French car manufacturers have found these two ingredients especially attractive. The French are about as good in the kitchen as they are in making these 'CCs', just look at Peugeot and Renault and you'll know what I'm on about, Volkswagen have their EOS but I don't think its as pretty as the French cars. Well now its time to bring back one of the pioneers of the affordable, folding metal roof CC species. A first look at the new Renault Megane CC. The old Megane CC wasn't really a drivers car. It looked pretty no doubt, but it was heavy, and quite a lump to be honest. However, its main purpose isn't really for drivers looking for a fast ride in the first place. Its for people who want a car to drive on the weekend, with the top down. Even if it meant exposing that beer belly or that bald patch its fine. Because at least he was driving in a pretty car. And in that sense, the old Megane CC did not disappoint. Angular it was, but bold and unique it still is. And that holds true with the new one as you can clearly see. It has headlights which look like they have been cloned from the Laguna Coupe which is an absolutely gorgeous car in my opinion, looks great on the Megane too. And that outward attractiveness seeps inwards as the interior is also rather similar to the Laguna Coupe, looking strangely German, but high quality nonetheless so no signs of skiving on the job there. The new Megane CC will be officially revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next month and it looks more refined, sophisticated and elegant compared to its predecessor. And to make those who want a nippier ride, the engineers have made its body 80% stiffer than before in their attempt to improve the handling. Doubt it'll work but moving on. The drop-top is 1 second quicker than before, 21 seconds to be precise and there's a wind deflector which is becoming increasingly common these days in convertibles which prevents your hair from being messed up to roughly 90km/h. As for the engines, its same old, same old.. Not too powerful I'm afraid. But like I said, that's the way this car is meant to be. You aren't supposed to be roaring down highways because this car is meant to be driven slowly so the girls will notice. There will be a 128bhp 1.4 litre turbo charged unit or a 138bhp 2.0 litre petrol engine under the bonnet and hopefully we'll be able to enjoy Renault's new Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) system since everyone is raving about dual clutch systems. Lets see if this one is any good. All in all, this is a pretty good car to look at. But for the real drivers who want some kick out of their car, this isn't the car for you.

There was news recently that Jaguar have decided to start manufacturing cars in China and India and with the new life line of 1 billion pounds supplied by TATA yearly for the next 5 years, there's much more room for the designers and engineers to play around with their cars. And finally, after making concepts of what Jaguars 'could' look like for years, they can finally make them. One fine example is this spectacular F-type. First born in 1998 as the XK180 concept, Jaguar have struggled to put it in production due to the lack of funds. But now, they can finally let the cat roar to life after more than 10 years in silence. The new F-type will definitely be the ultimate Jaguar fan-favourite with its good looks and classic Jaguar feel to it with swooping lines and crisp contours. I really salute Ian Callum who has been designing these works of art.. he never fails to draw a Jag to impress. The F-type is set to go up against the mighty Porsche Boxter. Its German precision against British flair! The hard part would be competing against Porsche's 'supercar' brand status which immediately places itself above the Jaguar just by the name itself, but Jaguar is no push-over, especially once this model makes it to the showrooms. Not much news yet though on the engines that will be available, but I think even if it had an engine with the pace of a mule, I'd still have one. The only bad thing is that buying a Jag is like going for second best.. if you can afford a Jag of this calibre, why not get an Aston?

Which you prefer on Singapore Road? Coupe or Verts?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8292089.stm Convertibles 'bad for the ears' Driving a convertible car can seriously damage your ears, experts have warned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope rolling up the windows work! It'll be silly to wear earplugs.....

How many convertibles vs normal cars on the road, based on your daily observation and gut feeling? Quick guide: 1% = 1 in 100, 10% = 1 in 10. I capped it at 40% cos I don't think 4 in 10 cars are convertibles.